Opening Doors to Brighter Tomorrows

Jobs are the foundation of personal and family self-sufficiency and the core of Impact’s work. Since 1974, Impacts neighborhood-based programs have helped over 25,000 people enter the workforce.

All of Impact’s employment programs echo our “build on strength” philosophy and help people overcome barriers to entering or reentering the workforce. Whether we’re serving TANF recipients, recently returned ex-offenders or homeless veterans, every person enrolled in Impact’s employment and training programs gets the personal help needed to more productively use their skills and talents.

Equally important, Impact connects to the business community and serves as a link between employers seeking qualified employees and the individuals benefiting from our employment and training programs. Impact helps companies build their workforce by screening and referring qualified applicants while reducing costs through our free services and available tax credits.

TANF - Paving the Road to Self-Sufficiency

Much of the effort in Impact’s welfare-to-work programs is directed toward accelerating the rate of positive change in clients’ lives. Although much has changed in this field, Impact has adapted through the decades, continuously finding new ways to help people take charge of their lives and take care of their families. Since 2005, Impact’s welfare-to-work programs have helped over 15,500 TANF recipients move towards achieving their goals and self-sufficiency.

The Employment Advancement Retention Network (EARN) Center is the major vehicle in Philadelphia for helping recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) prepare for and obtain employment. Based on the needs of each participant, services include assessment, development of individual plans, work readiness and life skills training, literacy tutoring, community work experience, case management and counseling, career exploration, job placement, and post-placement retention services.

Impact was the pilot program selected to operate an EARN Center in 2005 and provided services to over 5,000 TANF recipientsuntil 2008 when Impact was asked to implement the Social Employment Center, a special initiative providing work readiness training and socially beneficial work activities to pregnant TANF recipients. Impact was awarded a new EARN Center contract by PWDC in 2010 and took over the full operation of an existing EARN Center from a previous operator, moving into the existing facility, and continuing services to 581 customers without a day’s loss of service time. Impact currently runs an EARN Center at 2701 N. Broad St. and leads the system in job placements and job placement percentage. Since 2010, Impact has served over 9,000 TANF participants, placed 2,005 into employment, and assisted another 713 participants to transition to skills training.